ABSTRACT
Archaeologists are rarely implicated in the representation and struggles of living peoples because their subjects are often presumed to be dead and buried. Yet, as many archaeologists move toward a more politically responsible and engaged practice that recognizes that other communities and groups have equally legitimate claims to stewardship (e.g., Derry and Malloy 2003; Dongoske, Aldenderfer, and Doehner 2000; Kerber 2006; Loring 2001; McDavid and Babson 1997; Shackel and Chambers 2004; Swidler et al. 1997; Watkins 2003), the connections between contemporary communities and ancient cultural property have increasingly become an issue. Critical whiteness, as both a category of analysis and a mode of antiracist practice, provides a lens through which to examine the Kennewick Man case and to recognize different standpoints, power, and politics in the practice of archaeology.
